April 17, 2026 -- Proverbs 9:10 -- Delighting in the fear of the LORD

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. Proverbs 9:10 ESV
 
The fear of the LORD is a key description of one who is submitted to God. Jesus was filled with the Spirit (John 3:34). The Holy Spirit is described in Revelation as the seven-fold Spirit (Revelation 1:4). Elsewhere in Scripture, one learns the seven-fold nature of the Spirit. The Spirit is: the Spirit of the LORD, of wisdom, of understanding, of counsel, of might, of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD (Isaiah 11:2). It is added, in the next verse, that the one so filled with the Holy Spirit “shall delight in the fear of the LORD” (Isaiah 11:3a).
 
The fear of the LORD is pleasurable for the Christian. As Jesus walked this earth, without a fear of what people would do to Him, so the person submitted to God, will walk in obedience to Jesus, without fear of what people can do against him. Jesus even described His obedience to the Father as His food (John 4:34). Jesus delighted in the fear of the LORD, it is what sustained Him through-out His life.
 
The fear of the LORD is the foundation for a healthy Christian walk. If you are serving Jesus, but always afraid of what others will think about you, or how they will act against you, you are in fact serving your desire to be popular, rather than humbly serving Jesus. You can’t serve God wholeheartedly if you are afraid of what others will think. The people around you will eventually extinguish your service to God.
 
Jesus addressed this fear of man in the Parable of the Sower (it is one that you can find in Matthew, Mark and Luke). When the seed falls on rocky soil it springs up quickly, joyfully receiving the word at first. Jesus goes on to explain “they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the world, immediately they fall away” (Mark 4:17).
 
What are you afraid of? That fear will govern your life. If you are afraid of poverty, you’ll be money hungry; insatiably wanting more of it. If you are afraid of death, you’ll become a hypervigilant health nut. If you are afraid of the mocking of others, you’ll be ruled by their opinion of you. Those who walk in the fear of the LORD find they have great gain. God gives new life in Christ. God blesses such men and women with the powerful, indwelling Holy Spirit. God’s purposes for the life of His son or daughter are the reliable guide for every day and are infinitely more delightful than anything the world offers.
 
Father in heaven, great is Your Name, and glorious the salvation and new life You give to Your children in Christ. As is promised in the word, by Your Spirit, help us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, knowing it is You Who works in us. Let Your good pleasure govern our days and so fill our nights that we will walk in the delight of the fear of the LORD. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/CyHbdqB8kto?si=N4hKTRiLKNwLei0i I Surrender All
 

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April 15, 2026 -- Proverbs 9:7-9 -- Who is the teachable person in your life?

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
reprove a wise man and he will love you.
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
Proverbs 9:7-9 ESV
 
Perhaps you know Psalm 1? The man who is blessed by the LORD and is happy in serving Him, does not sit in company with scoffers. A scoffer jeers at wisdom. A scoffer is ten times wiser in his own eyes than any other man. A scoffer has a ready answer for anything…but his replies are self-important nonsense. What the proverbs are teaching here is that a person who is wise in Jesus, filled with the Spirit must know who is listening. If a believer is speaking to a scoffer, to a wicked person who is holding tightly to evil, there is no point in trying to offer correction. A scoffer will mock. A wicked person will retaliate and try to extinguish the light of Christ.
 
However, you will find that there are people in your life who have been softened by the Holy Spirit. There are scoffers who are suddenly softer, less inclined to reject what you say. There are wicked men who have been halted in their violence and are suddenly teachable. The man of wisdom, and the woman who is wise unto the LORD will take the opportunity to teach that person while he is open, willing to hear.
 
Not that long ago I met a man who was terribly angry. But when I taught the bible lesson, he paid attention. After class he found he couldn’t help but ask questions. This went on for several lessons. He opted to be in the bible class. He decided to listen, though his spirit still raged. Thanks be to God, one week ago he submitted himself to God. The change is so dramatic. He is happy. He is reading his Bible at a wonderful clip. He is at peace. He can receive love from God. He is increasing in learning.
 
The man or woman who is in the grip of grace is deeply loved by the Father, and the Son. From out of this rich resource of love, guarded deep in the soul, mind and heart, the believer overflows with love for those all around. The presence of God is in you is compelling to sinners softened by the Holy Spirit. But the powerful presence of God will also draw detractors, scoffers, people who want to be justified in their own eyes. Be discerning. In short order you’ll know who is unreachable, distinguishing this person from that other person who is humble and teachable.
 
There are folks in the pews near you who are not Christians. They need you to be ready to give instruction in righteousness, doing so with patience and kindness. There are people at work, or school, or in your community group, who need to be instructed in ways of Jesus. There are youth, caught in the chaos of today’s culture, who are looking for the anchor of Christ’s love that would ground them in the Father’s love. Are you prepared to teach, to endure some strong push-back, but to persist anyways, knowing there is a glowing ember set on fire from the altar of God?
 
Father in heaven, Your word teaches that the one who wins souls is wise. As you have captured my soul and heart by the reconciling work of Jesus, so I pray for the people You have put in my life. Let me be a soul-winner for Jesus. Spirit of God, show me the person, or people, you have placed in my life who are ready to be instructed in righteousness. Spirit of the Living God, for those who are new, infants in the faith, give me a loving, patient, holy desire to keep instructing such people until they too are soul-winners for Jesus. Thank You, Glorious God of Salvation, that You work in and through ordinary men and women, to spread the Good News of Jesus. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/FcD9uhRC3Ew?si=FW6hftkh6mg9InhA Go Light Your World
 

Copyright © 2026 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

April 13, 2026 -- Proverbs 9:2-6 -- Invited to the Happy House of Wisdom

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

2  She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
3  She has sent out her young women to call
from the highest places in the town,
4  “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
To him who lacks sense she says,
5  “Come, eat of my bread
and drink of the wine I have mixed.
6  Leave your simple ways, and live,
and walk in the way of insight.” Proverbs 9:2–6
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025).
 
A few days ago, we considered wisdom’s house; like creation which has wisdom in every part, so the home of the godly person has wisdom built into its foundation and is part of every room. The home of the wise is a place of appropriate feasting—which in the Bible anticipates the marriage feast of Jesus and His people (Revelation19).
 
The home of wisdom is proportionate. All that is done is carried out with a view to the goodness of God, the provision of God, the joy one finds in God. The house of wisdom is a place of teaching, where the simple, the wayward, those inclined to sin, are educated in righteousness, their feet are restrained from the pathways of scoffers, and the desires of sin are vanquished as the joy of the LORD fills their senses.
 
Beloved in the LORD, the world is constantly training your desires, your senses and your delights. The world is under the rule of the prince of this age, the devil. The house of wisdom shows you the better way. The house of wisdom teaches you that all who fail to find wisdom injure themselves and all who hate wisdom love death (Proverbs 8:36).
 
What is the banqueting table of your life? Are you living giving to God the leftovers of your life, while you pursue selfish desires? Or has wisdom’s invitation captured your heart so that all you desire is wisdom, which is whole-hearted devotion to Jesus, in the joy of the Holy Spirit, with a vision of the future that is anchored in the glories yet in store for you as the Father pours out His blessing on you?
 
Glorious Father in heaven, in Your presence are blessings forever more! By Your precious gift of wisdom, applied by Your Spirit to my mind, my desires, and my heart, pry my fingers from their death-grip to all that is simple, wayward and sinful. Give to me a holy hunger for the marriage feast of wisdom, the extravagant blessings of union with Jesus, so that my service to You, O God of Splendor, is not forced, reluctant, or parsimonious. In view of Your blazing beauty, O God my Father, captivated by the reconciling love of Jesus, command Your Spirit to bind my ever-prone-to-wandering soul to Jesus. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/DV-V4xZMQx0?si=n6dsaRkUy1IxJct4 Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
 

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April 12, 2026 -- Matthew 12:22-24 -- Jesus, the Compassionate, Healer King

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” Matthew 12:22–24
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025).
 
Just a few verses prior to this reading, Matthew quoted from Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-3). He used this quotation to explain Who Jesus is and to explain why Jesus told the crowds not to tell others who He is. A quick review might help. Jesus is the chosen one of God, sent to be the suffering servant. Jesus is the suffering servant Who is Spirit-filled and therefore has been anointed and equipped to do the work the Father has given. He is loved by the Father, because He lays down His life for the sheep—that is for sinful, confused and wayward people, such as we are (John 10:17). Finally, Jesus proclaims justice (Matthew 12:18, 21) which is the work of a King. The king who rules in justice both knows the laws of God and applies those laws. The king who rules in justice extends the territory of God with the goal that one day the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God, as the waters cover the sea. He is the king who rules both with justice and compassion. He will not break a bruised reed, nor will He snuff out a smoldering wick. The smallest sign of life He will treasure and defend.
 
The narrative before us, starting in verse 22, proves that some people “get it”. They understand the role of Jesus as king. When a blind and mute man, a man under the power of the enemy of God, was presented to Jesus, Jesus defeated the enemy. The people asked, “Can this be the Son of David?” It is a clear reference to His status as a worthy descendant of David. A royal son. A man who by His defense of the people is upholding the law of God. A just king, who exercises compassion on the weakest of men. The Pharisees prove they are more blind then was the formerly blind and mute and demon-oppressed man before he was healed by Jesus.
 
Jesus offers several words of explanation, using the sign as the basis of instructing the people present Who He really is. First off, notice how compassionate He is. There are crowds who have witnessed the sign. There are Pharisees who have maliciously misinterpreted the sign. There are those who loved the demon-oppressed blind and mute man, loving him enough to have brought him to Jesus. And there, in front of Jesus, is a man who can now see and speak. He is suddenly in the spotlight and his rescuer, Jesus, is being called a man in league with demons. All the controversy surrounds his healing. What will Jesus do? How will this man be protected from the onslaught of careless words and speculations?
 
What a glorious Savior Jesus is. Rescuer of the weak, merciful to the barely alive, smoldering wick, but valuable in the eyes of God. What a glorious picture of the community of Jesus, compassionate friends bring the demon-oppressed, blind and mute man to Jesus for healing. They know Jesus is the only source of salvation and healing. Hallelujah, what a Savior!
 
Father in heaven, thank You for the rescue You appointed for Your people through Jesus Christ. Thank You Jesus, King of Glory, master in mercy, for the healing You bring through Your reconciling work at the cross. Spirit of the Living God, prompt us to bring wounded and weary souls to Jesus, where they find rest. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/BppKOFLig2w?si=gHEH0Xs1LpJivODZ Only There
 

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April 10, 2026 -- Proverbs 9:1 -- The House of Wisdom

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn her seven pillars.
Proverbs 9:1 ESV
 
The writer is returning to a common theme: the house of wisdom versus the den of folly. While wisdom builds a house inviting men to grow in wisdom, folly sits at the door of her house seeking to seduce men. Was folly’s den the house of her lover? Does it belong to her husband who is away while she invites others to illicit sexual activity? Or is it the den bought with the gains of her sexual trade?
 
Wisdom’s home is built; just as wisdom was involved in the building of creation, so the home of the believer has wisdom as the foundation, the supporting beams, and filling every room. A home built by wisdom will be one that follows the righteous rules of God. A home built by wisdom will shine in beauty. A home built by wisdom will reflect the glory of God the Father, Who built creation as a meeting place between Himself and His people. In the same way, the home of wisdom is built as a meeting place for God and His people.
 
Seven pillars denote perfection. Wisdom’s house is stable. Wisdom’s house is beautiful. Seven is the number of fullness. Whereas there are seven abominations associated with the foolish person who acts against God (you can read about these in Proverbs 6:16-19); wisdom’s house has seven pillars. There is stability in the house of wisdom. Honour. Interestingly, the Holy Spirit is the sevenfold Spirit (Revelation 1:4 and Isaiah 11:2-3a). Can it be that the implication is that the home of wisdom is the place where the Holy Spirit lives among the people? You bet it is.
 
Why do you think Proverbs has such an emphasis and offers such a steady drumbeat of warnings making the contrast between the woman wisdom and the wily prostitute folly? Life can never be neutral. One is always either rushing towards folly and death (he who fails to find wisdom injures himself and all who hate wisdom love death Proverbs 8:36). Or one is embracing wisdom and being refreshed from the battles of the world and the attendant injuries.
 
Wicked, sinful, ordinary men are drawn to the den of folly like moths to a flame. Again and again they fly back to it, injuring themselves, singeing their wings until finally they are consumed by their lusts. The only way wisdom will ever be attractive to a sinful man is for the very nature of that man to change. Those who are in Christ are a new creation, the old has passed away, the new has come (II Corinthians 5:17). The old nature and patterns of sin can easily reemerge; so that wise are open to constant correction. Open to being renewed in wisdom. Resting and getting refreshed in the Word of God is vital to expose the subtleties of folly and equip the believer to fully resist it as vile. Wisdom invites you.
 
Father in heaven, thank You that You have built wisdom into creation. Thank You that all who believe in Jesus, are a new creation and have a new mind with holy aspirations and desires. Spirit of the Living God, past associations and former patterns still exert such a strong pull of temptation, help us to resist these as You fill our eyes with the beauty of wisdom, and fill our minds with the delights of wholeness which is expressed in a life of holiness given in through the imputed righteousness of Jesus. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/n9N-bGVtKDc?si=EyC4U746Cle0kb57 To the Table
 

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April 9, 2026 -- Proverbs 8:34 -- The Benefits of Godly Wisdom

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

34  Blessed is the one who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my doors. Proverbs 8:34
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025).
 
Right at the start of today’s text, the very first word blessed could be translated with the phrase happy and blessed or blessed with joy. Who is this felicitous person? It is the man, the woman, the obedient child who is listening to wisdom. Wisdom is its own reward. Wisdom, as explained in Proverbs 8:22-31 is built right into the creation. From the very decision of the LORD to create, through-out the creative process, until God had placed Adam and Eve into the Garden of Eden, all His creative work is filled with wisdom. The believer who listens to the Word of God, who observes creation order, and knows Jesus, the crowning glory of creation, will find wisdom.
 
Who are the believers blessed with joy? They are the ones who are wide awake and watching at the gates and watching at the entrances. Interestingly, Jesus calls Himself the gate and the entrance to the sheepfold (John 10:7). If you want to find wisdom, if you want to have true understanding of the world and what is going on, believe in Jesus.
 
There are two kingdoms constantly at war. One is the kingdom of the devil, which is doomed to defeat, who is a roaring and wounded lion. At the cross of Jesus, the kingdom of the devil was dealt a deathblow. The final clean-up is happening now. A wounded lion is a vicious, nasty, got-nothing-to-lose attacking lion. No wonder he seems so strong. However, the gate and the door is open to the protection one finds in the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ: Jesus.
 
The other kingdom is the Kingdom of Jesus. It is secure. It was founded at the beginning of all things. It is designed to withstand the onslaught of the devil. It is the protection of the wounded and weary believer who has been mauled in the past. The Kingdom of Jesus is where those who hear and obey, those who constantly watch for Jesus, attentive to His next instruction, find healing, hope and happiness. Yes, the war is raging on, but be encouraged dear believer, the end is near and the banner of Christ’s victory has already been planted at the top of the cross: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. If you know your Bible, you know that He will reign until He brings justice to victory and the Gentiles hope in Him (Isaiah 42:3; Matthew 12:20-21). Gentiles are non-Jewish people, who in Christ Jesus, have entered His victorious kingdom and delight in His wise reign.
 
Glorious Father, great is Your wisdom, majestic are You in all Your ways. We praise You for wisdom by which You formed creation, and through Whom You made Adam and Eve. Jesus, You are wisdom incarnate, in You believers revel in joyful blessedness. Spirit of the Living God, enable us to lean ever more deeply into the promise of this text, to live in the blessedness and joy which attends all those who follow Jesus. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/-Vk93FTi-0E?si=eDfUSbeCpDho6CTw (Music starts at 1:17) Jesus shall reign
 

Copyright © 2026 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

April 7, 2026 -- Luke 6:46-49 -- Facing the next, inevitable, storm

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? 47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Luke 6:46–49.
 
"Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes.” Count of Monte Cristo, 2002 Version. Storms will come. They are inevitable. With them come the devastating flood waters. When Jesus used the word for “stream” to describe to water that smashes against the house, He used an interesting Middle Eastern term. He used the word for a stream bed that is often dry, though sometimes it holds a trickle of water, and other times torrents of water flow and overflow it, raging along its course supplied from a far source.
 
It is simple enough to say, “Lord, lord” to Jesus when you’re walking in the sunlight, but what happens when that storm of life breaks? Have you built your life on Him? Have you got a firm foundation in His word? Has the Spirit of God bolted you to the rock of your salvation so that no storm will move you and no shattering waves will devastate all you've built?
 
If you are struggling, seeing great wreckage in your life, then praise God for today! The storm exposed your need to rebuild. The ruin separated you from all your unstable friends, feelings, false hopes, foolish dreams. Now throw yourself on Jesus. You know it. There will be more storms. There will be other torrents. Cry out to Jesus. Confess all your false confidence and all the other things you’d been trusting: your brain, your brawn, your boredom, your body, your bank account (or whatever else you’ve relied on instead of Jesus). Now change your building strategy. Decide to fully trust in Jesus, thanking God the Father that He left you alive after the last great storm exposed your complete and utter need of Him. Let the Spirit of God into every part of your life so that what you build from now on will withstand any storm. Bless God for His grace in leading you to people who, like you, are putting their confidence in Jesus. The next storm is nearer than you think. Are you ready?
 
O God, our Father, thank You for the storm which showed me exactly how much I urgently, desperately, and utterly need You. As I stand in the wreckage of my false hopes and crushed plans and self-promoting dreams, I bless You that today is a new day, a new opportunity to praise You and walk with You in newness of life. Spirit of God, let the words of the Bible fill me with holy hope, a renewed sense of the gravity of my situation which now is strenuously calling out to me: “Anchor yourself to Jesus.” Thank You Triune God, for the warning of Your Word, for this day, for this fresh start, for this renewed commitment to You. In whatever area I begin to rebuild something false, selfish, wayward, or foolish, tear it down. Whenever the next storm strikes, let the glorious stability of this new life prove You are the only trustworthy foundation for my soul. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/MgpaULjZOl8?si=YLLGV6e_yERZGlg1 Praise You in this Storm

 

Copyright © 2026 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

April 5, 2026 -- I Corinthians 15:55b-57 -- Jesus' Glorious Resurrection

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Heidelberg Catechism
LORD’S DAY 17
45 Q. How does Christ’s resurrection benefit us?
 A. First, by his resurrection he has overcome death,
   so that he might make us share in the righteousness
   he obtained for us by his death.1
  Second, by his power we too
   are already raised to a new life.2
  Third, Christ’s resurrection
   is a sure pledge to us of our blessed resurrection.3
1 Rom. 4:25; 1 Cor. 15:16-20; 1 Pet. 1:3-5
2 Rom. 6:5-11; Eph. 2:4-6; Col. 3:1-4
3 Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 15:12-23; Phil. 3:20-21
 
By Jesus’ resurrection we are assured He has overcome death. The beautiful blessing that flows to us is this: all who are in Christ have the assurance death is not the end. Look at how Paul explained it to the Corinthians. If you only are a Christian in this life and after death there is nothing, then you are pitiful. Then you might well eject this faith because it is worthless, because you are still drowning in your sins (paraphrase of I Corinthians 15:17). Jesus’ resurrection some two thousand years ago continues to inspire believers, make hymn-writers eloquent, cause wordsmiths to weave stirring sentences to the glory of our God. Why? Jesus’ resurrection is the guarantee that death does not win.
 
For the Christian, death never wins. Believers have His righteousness now; that is, all our sins, the reason God has cursed us, have been removed. In Jesus’ death God poured out His perfect anger and punishment against our sins on Jesus His Son. God crushed Jesus so that we would never have to be crushed for our sins. Jesus died and we are assured the full penalty of our sins has been paid. Jesus rose and we know His righteousness is ours. There is no double-jeopardy. It can never be that God punished our sins in Christ, and then decides, wait, I’m still angry, I’m going to put you to death as well! No way. Jesus’ righteousness is ours right now. That is why Paul can so poetically write: “O death where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 15:55b-57).
 
Father in heaven, thank You for the unstoppable love You demonstrated in Jesus Christ. Dearest Jesus, thank You for Your reconciling blood, shed at Calvary, so that our Father’s wrath against our sin has been poured out on You and in exchange we have Your righteousness applied to us. Spirit of the Living God, thank You for the resurrection power with which you fill our lives so that everything has changed and we are beloved sons and daughters of God. Triune God, help us to walk in the glorious victory of Jesus’ resurrection. Honour and glory, blessing and dominion belong to You, Glorious God of Power, forever and ever. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/7w_K9vTIGHY?si=XICrtRYpvk4hLiYd There is a Redeemer

 

Copyright © 2026 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

April 3, 2026 -- Matthew 27:50 -- Why Did Jesus Die?

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
Matthew 27:50 ESV
 
The question must be asked, why did Jesus die? He had not sinned in any way. Hebrews teaches “He learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:8-9 ESV). It is one thing to be obedient to God when everything is going well with you and life is easy; it is another thing entirely to be obedient when you suffer, when you are hounded and hated, serving faithfully though hard pressed on every side. Jesus though hounded and hated, served faithfully in every moment of His life and was confirmed as sinless.
 
All the way back at the start of the Bible, in Genesis, God told Adam and Eve if they ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge and evil, they would die (Genesis 2:17). It is an emphatic statement; you shall surely die. When Adam and Eve ate of that fruit they violated the clear command of God, the boundary He’d set up which was supposed to confirm their life-long obedience. Had they had been confirmed in obedience He would grant them everlasting life. They failed. They rejected God. They had the blessedness of knowing God, walking with Him, living in Eden, and they chose death.
 
The magnitude of the sin is hard for us to comprehend. We are so mired in sin. So used to the stench of it. So used to dire consequences of it. Swimming in the cesspool of our sins we can hardly begin to know what purity is. The concept of holiness is elusive, no, it is completely foreign to us. God is just, He completely right, in demanding the complete obedience of the people He’d just created. But the mercy of God, oh, that great and incredible mercy, that He cursed Adam and Eve with death, but delayed the sentence of death, giving to Adam and Eve, and all their descendants life, children, abundance.
 
The sentence of death, the stipulated punishment for humanity’s sin, was fully measured out upon the Person of Jesus Christ. His death appeased the wrath of God. His death is the full and final answer to God’s demand of death for the sinner. His death had been pictured, foretold in all the sacrificed animals of the Old Testament. By the sacrifice of Jesus, His death, we are reconciled to God. Every Old Testament figure who believed in the promise of God offered in Jesus through sacrifice, from Adam and Eve to those in Jesus’ day who died before the death of Jesus, were reconciled to God in Christ. All who believe in Jesus Christ, are reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus, His Son. No wonder this day, when we remember the death of Jesus, is so awe-inspiringly amazing, so humbling, and draws from our lips such gratitude. What is the sign that you truly believe Jesus is the reconciling sacrifice? It is faith that bears the fruit of obedience to Jesus, and this fueled by the power of the in-dwelling Spirit.
 
https://youtu.be/aoMhT5zBkdE?si=vVMEhDcE0MQsyI5n Redeemer
 
 
O FOUNTAIN OF ALL GOOD,
Destroy in me every lofty thought,
break pride to pieces and scatter it to the winds,
annihilate each clinging shred of self-righteousness,
implant in me true lowliness of spirit,
abase me to self-loathing and self-abhorrence,
open in me a fount of penitential tears,
break me, then bind me up;
thus will my heart be a prepared dwelling for my God;
then can the Father take up his abode in me,
then can the blessed Jesus come with healing in his touch,
then can the Holy Spirit descended in sanctifying grace;
O Holy Trinity, three Persons and one God,
inhabit me, a temple consecrated to thy glory.
When thou art present, evil cannot abide;
in thy fellowship is fullness of joy,
beneath thy smile is peace of conscience,
by thy side no fears disturb,
no apprehensions banish rest of mind,
with thee my heart shall bloom with fragrance;
make me meet, through repentance,
for thine indwelling.
Nothing exceeds thy power,
nothing is too great for thee to do,
nothing is too good for thee to give.
Infinite thy grace, glorious thy saving name.
Let angels sing for
sinners repenting,
prodigals restored,
backsliders reclaimed,
Satan’s captives released,
blind eyes opened,
broken hearts bound up,
the despondent cheered,
the self-righteous stripped,
the formalist driven from the refuge of lies,
the ignorant enlightened,
and saints built up in their holy faith.
I ask great things of a great God.
THE GREAT GOD. THE VALLEY OF VISION. Page 8
 

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April 2, 2026 -- Matthew 27:1-2 -- Why is it called "Good" Friday?

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 2 And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor. Matthew 27:1-2
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025).
 
All the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus, that is they acted on their previous scheming to harm Jesus. Those who have been studying Matthew, in our Sunday morning and Wednesday evening studies, will perhaps recall this verse “But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, how to destroy Him” (Matthew 12:14). When Jesus had healed the man with the withered hand, the religious leaders of the Jewish people, rather than rejoicing at the mercy of God, decided on the spot to ruin Jesus’ reputation, to kill Him, and disperse His followers (that is all what is meant by ‘destroy Him’).
 
The verses break into the narrative of Jesus’ inevitable crucifixion; this portion takes place after Jesus’ betrayal, and the trial in a court that was stacked against Him with false witnesses. They prove the religious leadership were well on their way (or so they thought) of accomplishing their mission: destroy Jesus. We need to pause for a moment. It is too easy to think, ‘if I were there, I would have stood up and defended Jesus’. Hmm. Is that really true?
 

• Didn’t you deny Him when you overate? You smoked? You viewed porn. You took a hit. (Insert here your own secret sin.) You knew the truth of the word, your body is the temple of the LORD, your mind is to remain pure in service to Him, but you sinned anyways.

• Don’t you deny Him when your bible is right next to you, but instead of reading it, you get busy with the agenda of the day and it happens again, by the end of the day, your bible remains shut. Unread. You have denied Him.

• Don’t you deny Him when your adversary at work, the person who drives you nuts and always picks at you, tap-dances on your last frayed nerve and instead of humbling yourself before God and acting with patience, you explode in anger? You have, like all the rest, denied Jesus.

• Don’t you deny Him? Think of the times when you knew the right thing to do, what you are Spirit-led to do and instructed by God’s guidance to accomplish, and you leave it undone. You denied Him.

 
The fact of the matter is, if we were there, we would have crucified the LORD of Glory. By the incredible grace of God, here we are, at this moment of history, sustained by the tremendous grace of God’s Spirit to see the depths of our denials and sins against Jesus, and brought to the place of confession. When we confess our sins, we are agreeing with the word of God, You are right in condemning Me, You are great in Your compassionate mercy, to apply the punishment of my sin to Jesus, and to give me His unblemished record.


We are about to start the Easter weekend. The time when the Christian world acknowledges Good Friday, calling it Good, because God crushed His Son in our place. Punished Him, so that you and I can be set free from God’s proportionate and just wrath against our many sins. It is Good Friday because we pause, lost in wonder in awe at both the massive tangle of sins we carry, and then the immensely greater, stronger, perfect forgiveness which is ours in Christ. Oh, what a cost, the voluntary in our place, death of Jesus. Oh, what a Savior, Who stopped at nothing, even His Own death, so that you and I, at the cost of His blood and His life, are reconciled to God.
 
https://youtu.be/_oHlAoxMXI4?si=AaezYl4GwbPefT4V Ah, Holy Jesus (hymn starts at 2:31)
 
O GOD, THE AUTHOR OF ALL GOOD,
I come to thee for the grace another day
will require for its duties and events.
I step out into a wicked world,
I carry about with me an evil heart,
I know that I can do nothing,
that everything with which I shall be concerned,
however harmless in itself,
may prove an occasion of sin or folly,
unless I am kept by thy power.
Hold thou me up and I shall be safe.
Preserve my understanding from subtilty of error,
my affections from love of idols
my character from stain of vice,
my profession from every form of evil.
May I engage in nothing in which I cannot implore thy blessing,
and in which I cannot invite thy inspection.
Prosper me in all lawful undertakings,
or prepare me for disappointments;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with food convenient for me,
lest I be full and deny thee
and say, Who is the Lord?
Or be poor, and steal, and take thy name in vain.
May every creature be made good to me by prayer and thy will;
teach me how to use the world, and not abuse it,
to improve my talents,
to redeem my time,
to walk in wisdom toward those without,
and in kindness to those within,
to do good to all men, and especially to my fellow Christians.
And to thee be the glory. Amen.
Morning Needs. The Valley of Vision: Puritan Prayers and Devotions. Page 218
 
 

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April 1, 2026 -- Proverbs 8:15-16 -- In all the political tumult of this life, see Him, Jesus the Redeemer King

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

15  By me kings reign,
and rulers decree what is just;
16  by me princes rule,
and nobles, all who govern justly. Proverbs 8:15–16
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025).
 
In this pair of verses, me refers to wisdom. Wisdom exercised in the fear of the LORD is the crown of leaders. The fear of the LORD is pure—that is, the one who fears the LORD, does not toy with sin, nor give allegiance to God in some areas of life, but not others. Wisdom from God is available to all people, from to the least to the greatest who ever lived. Wisdom calls out in all these spheres. The creation declares the wisdom of God. The Word proclaims the wisdom of God. Jesus is wisdom incarnate, that is, in the flesh. Preachers dedicated to God, by their exhortations, declare wisdom. Christians by their way of life, live out wisdom so that others who see them are amazed at their serenity while life deals hard blows.
 
How does one recognize a good ruler? There was an American election, in 1992, where the successful candidate ran on the tagline: “It’s the economy, stupid”. Nope. That’s not the mark of a good ruler. Nor are platforms like health care, immigration policies, or building the military, the mark of a wise ruler. The Bible shows the quality of a ruler is proved by a fruitful life walking in wisdom guided by the fear of the LORD. Wisdom includes counsel—good advice, advice that leads to a nation experiencing peace (verse 14). The Old Testament is filled with references highlighting the fact that God’s rulers are to be wise, just, have sound counsel exercising their reign in obedience to God.
 
As you read these attributes, you realize all princes and sovereigns, emperors and prime ministers, rich elites and presidents are so flawed and weak-willed. Seeing wisdom exercised in the fear of the LORD can only, ever, be fully applied to Jesus. During His earthly ministry He was the man who honoured God in His life. He exercised the fear of the LORD with purity and integrity. He ruled with justice. Those who sought judgment, help, peace with God and peace with neighbour turned to Jesus. Regularly the people declared of Jesus, “He teaches with authority” (Matthew 7:29; Mark 1:22, Luke 4:32; John 7:46 et al). Such authority, exercised in both wisdom and the fear of the LORD was a theme of His life. His excellence on earth has been confirmed as He is now seated in splendour and power at the right hand of God, ruling all the nations. He is the Son of God, forever confirmed in His position as King by the authority of God the Father and affirmed by His glorious, earthly obedience to Him. Why does any of this matter?
 

• When believers see earthly Prime Ministers, princes, Governor Generals and Kings ruling with less than perfect wisdom, believers are reminded to pray for their rulers.

• When believers see the bad fruit resulting from the laws enacted by governors and prime ministers and princes and trend-setters, one cries out to Jesus, Who is the Ruler above all (Revelation 1:5)

• When you experience the impact of bad governance and the pinch of laws that criminalize Christian behavior, with your eyes fixed on Jesus, you are commanded to live as did the saints of old, like Daniel, Stephen, John the Baptist. In the strength of the Holy Spirit, pray to God, trust in the Lordship of Jesus, and be confident that all you are enduring places you in the path of leaders so that your testimony will be heard at every level of life and governance.

• When Jesus returns, dear believer, rest assured Jesus will judge all the living and the dead. When Jesus returns He will right every wrong and His rule and His justice will be so perfect, so fitting, so excellent, that believers will shout in praise, and the wicked, though utterly judged and cast to hell, will finally have to declare, in obeisance, “just and true are all Your ways, O King of the Nations” (Revelation 15:3).

 
Father in heaven, You have appointed Jesus to reign in glory. His earthly life confirmed His purity and utter devotion to You so that His elevation to Kingship in the eyes of the world can only be acclaimed in praise as Your excellent decree. Spirit of the Living God, lead us to be faithful in our prayers for our leaders. Urgent in praying for their salvation. Submitted in our appeals for Your help to lead us in the right paths, though these pathways may well lead us through the darkest of providences. With Job, let our souls declare, “For I know that my Redeemer lives” (Job 19:25). Amen
 
https://youtu.be/aoMhT5zBkdE?si=A15hncb1XnsZG-MP “Redeemer”
 
 

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March 31, 2026 -- Proverbs 8:12-13 -- Who are your people: misery or contentment?!

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12  “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
and I find knowledge and discretion.
13  The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil.
Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
and perverted speech I hate.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025),
Proverbs 8:12–13.
 
“Misery loves company”. You know that proverb, right? It is quoted so often that you might think it is a bible verse. It isn’t. But it is reflected in these two verses. Look at the vices that are clustered together. Pride. Boasting about oneself, one’s accomplishments, while acting superior to others, is joined to arrogance. Showing off one’s talents, one’s possessions, one’s work, as if this were solely the arrogant person’s own accomplishments which gathered in all this bounty. It is an absolute ignorance of the fact that all you have comes from the LORD. (Work and the ability to work: the gift of God. Inheritance and the gaining of wealth, the gift of God. What do you have that you didn’t receive from God?! I challenge you to think of one good thing in your life that isn’t directly tied to God’s blessing?! I’m waiting.)
 
Pride and arrogance are partnered together on the evil pathway. Pride and arrogance make one insensitive and insensible to the things of God. While the proud and arrogant people march toward hell, they chatter foolishly, accusingly of others whom they think are inferior, worthless, and worthy of scorn. The evil pathway is so familiar, when you point out to them it is evil, they are shocked. Pride and arrogance will reply: “This is the way of the world, isn’t it? Can the world be wrong?” (So wrong!)
 
Contentment loves company too! Wisdom is a deep-rooted security anchored in the knowledge of Jesus and profound assurance of His saving work. Wisdom walks with prudence. Those who are prudent are sensible. They are aware of their surroundings. They can interpret the times and recognize where a course of action will lead; so, aware of the goal of complete and contented submission to God, the prudent make decisions based on their commitment to God. Knowledge is more than bare information. Those who are a new creation in Jesus Christ realize that all education and information that is True must find its source in godliness. Knowledge always comes to you with a bias, either tilted away from God, or coming from God. Those who walk with wisdom are eager for knowledge from and of the Holy One.
 
Contentment loves company too! Wisdom walks with prudence, and they link arms with knowledge and invite discretion into their company. Discretion is the ability to disentangle oneself from awkward situations and to do so with the grace of God. Discretion is desperately needed when believers are walking the way of God. The discrete navigate a path toward Him and do so in a world that hates the very God the discrete are serving. Discretion allows one to know the goal, the purpose for life, simultaneously showing others (who are on the path of evil) how inviting and beautiful is the way of Christ.
 
The fear of the LORD is the backdrop to all these attributes. If you fear people, then you will bend to every human philosophy, trend and whacko idea. If you fear people, truth is fluid. Your truth, her truth, their truth and at the clash of all these puny truths, the cynical ones in power lead the way. Evil gains the upper hand. The fear of the LORD is bending one’s will to Jesus, Who is Truth. He is the source of Truth. He is the way of Truth. He is Truth that leads to life. One confidently and with contentment follows Truth in Christ knowing that God holds the key to life, to death, and to eternal life after this life is done. The fear of the LORD is submitting every area of life to the lordship of Jesus: finances and sex, marriage and singleness, work and free time, friendships and freedoms.
 
The fear of the LORD is the cross-roads, the place of decision. Will you try and hold onto a few evil things, some things you justify as “not so bad” while walking in the fear of the LORD? It is impossible. You will be torn apart. Eventually your choice will be revealed as evil all the way. The fear of the LORD is pure (Psalm 19:9). There is no mixture of Truth with evil. When one finally realizes misery and despicable company are the way of destruction and hell, then one will be at the point where the purity of the fear of the LORD will be embraced.
 
So, dear readers, with whom are you keeping company: misery? Contentment? What is your way of life? Contentment in Christ leads to enjoying the company of other Christians who navigate the hostility of the world in the sure knowledge that Jesus the King, the Captain of Salvation, is leading His hosts to victory. The battle is fierce, but the outcome is sure.
 
King Jesus, I confess how often I wear the armour of a Christian, but toy with the things of the enemy. I confess how easily I totter. Thank You for the clarity of Your Word. Thank You for the instruction of the Holy Spirit. Spirit of the Living God, dig deeply into the place where I make daily decisions and there, at the source of my actions, cleanse me so that wisdom that is found in Jesus will be the motivating factor in all of my life. Wisdom and prudence, knowledge and discretion will guide me all under the banner of the fear of the LORD, so that fellow believers in Christ will be the ones in whom is all my delight. Faithful Father, let this way of life shine for Your glory and be so compelling that those who’d been in misery’s company, will be drawn to this new way of life. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/9zGbdg1YCYY?si=bMU6IFvPvjLVS7mh Afflicted Saint, to Christ Draw Near
 

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March 30, 2026 -- Proverbs 8:10-11 -- Greatest treasure: wisdom

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Take my instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than choice gold,
for wisdom is better than jewels,
and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.
Proverbs 8:10-11 ESV
 
Instruction, which over the long term of receiving it, is discipline in following the ways of the LORD; and knowledge which comes from the LORD leads a man to desire to know more about God and His ways. Together instruction and knowledge forge wisdom in the life of a godly person. Wisdom is the expression of instruction and knowledge which have accrued over a lifetime.
 
Instruction is like silver. It has value and is not common. Knowledge is even more valuable, as the writer compares it to gold. What is of greater value than both? Jewels. Wisdom is a jewel that ever increases in value. There is no short-cut to wisdom. One must continually be instructed in the word of God. The Spirit leading the godly person to implement all the wise instruction so that by this persistent teaching he is laser-focused on his purpose of serving God. Knowledge can make a believer proud and thus become misdirected godliness (which has no value). Appropriate knowledge of the Holy One leads the believer to know the majesty of God, and His saving work, humbling the believer making him even more open, hungrier for more of God.
 
Luke records that Jesus “grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon Him” (Luke 2:40). Wisdom is gained through experience. Trial. Suffering. Having one’s desires submitted to God. As the writer of Proverbs shows in these verses, instruction must proceed wisdom. Constant, faithful, daily, godly instruction. Then as one grows, there is a hunger for more instruction, as one matures, this instruction becomes knowledge. Knowledge integrates the teaching received, so that one can discern right from wrong, and right from nearly right.
 
Jesus, as a lad, stayed in the temple, listening to the teachers there. That is a key point. Too often those who are supposed to be instructed, want to hear themselves talking. Instruction that leads to knowledge must ask questions and listen at length to the answers given. Hear what was said. Ponder it. Fully taking it in and digesting it. Luke then notes, at the end of Jesus’ childhood, “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52).
 
Those who are believers in Jesus Christ have been made new. Their sins forgiven. Their thinking and reasoning are purified from the contamination of sin and their warped-away-from-God, naturally occurring desires are straightened. Thus, believers are, by the Spirit’s power, able to submit their will and desires to bring them in line with God’s ways. It is only after a man or a woman yields their whole self in submission to God, that such a person can receive instruction, grow in knowledge and gain wisdom. As you read, instruction, knowledge and wisdom are the greatest treasures of this life, only acquired by those who belong to Jesus and are kept humble, teachable before Him by the Holy Spirit.
 
Father in heaven, I confess I have not considered instruction, knowledge and wisdom as the greatest treasures that I could receive. I have pursued selfish purposes, worldly gain, and things in this life which quickly fade away. Instruction, knowledge and wisdom are treasures that can not be stolen; these are precious as they serve to increase my walk with You, grow greater joy in Christ and lead to fuller reliance on the Holy Spirit. Oh God, forgive me for the many times I have been too proud to be instructed. As Jesus taught, so I pray: ‘Father, may Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’; Father, help me to walk in Your will, and in Your ways. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/clqdCXxqYvI?si=XBA2QIdWiGLKHYe9 Be Thou My Vision

 

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March 28, 2026 -- Proverbs 8:1-4 -- Can you hear it? Wisdom is calling you

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma - hear and obey Jesus!

Does not wisdom call?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
On the heights beside the way;
at the crossroads she takes her stand;
beside the gates in front of the town,
at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:
“To you, O men, I call,
and my cry is to the children of man.” Proverbs 8:1-4 ESV
 
The answer to the first two questions of this series of proverbial sayings is, “yes”! Wisdom does call. Yes, understanding raises her voice! The Holy Spirit in you moves your conscience so that you are reminded to read the word—that is wisdom’s call. The Christian friends you have ask you about your bible reading and your walk with God—that is the raised voice of understanding asking you to examine your ways. All around you are the invitations to go deeper in your relationship with God.
 
On the mountain tops and in life’s decisions (at the crossroads) wisdom and understanding invite you to ask of God what is best, what is right, what is true? In Bible times the elders, judges and wise men sat at the city gates. If anyone had a question or a dispute, they could go to the leaders and get answers. If you are struggling in your walk with Jesus Christ, the invitation is there for you to get godly advice and help from the leaders of God’s people.
 
Earlier in Proverbs it seemed as if wisdom’s invitation was rejected (Proverbs 1:20-27). The good news is that our faithful Father is persistent in His lovingkindness and compassion toward His wayward people. Today’s passage proves that. There is a renewed invitation to find wisdom and understanding. An appeal to leave sinful ways may seem right in your own eyes but are leading you to death and destruction.
 
While there is opportunity, and you are beginning to realize how huge, varied, and able to escape your casual self-introspection your sins really are, throw yourself on the mercy God. This passage today shows you God’s reconciling love proved to you in Jesus Christ. Leave sinful ways. Flee temptations to sin. Reject your peers’ invitation to sin (these often seem innocent, or at least not terrible, but come with hidden barbs and poisonous implications). While there is time, and opportunity, hear the urgent appeal of the LORD to leave the ways of death and hell. Through reading the Bible, plus the advice of mature, godly Christian friends, and the grace of preaching, let the Holy Spirit direct you to grow and mature in Jesus Christ.
 
Our Father in heaven, Your word teaches “^There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death”. I must confess how often that has proven to be true in my own life. By Your Spirit, graciously, generously poured out into my life, let me once again hear wisdom’s call and answer. Let the voice of understanding flood my mind and grant me the relief of turning from sin and waywardness and being restored in Jesus. Teach me Your way, O Lord, because I know how loud the cries and pleadings and allurements of world are, the very coy invitations which seek to drown out wisdom’s voice and lead me astray. Thank You, God of lovingkindness and mercy, for Your persistent grace, and wide-open arms of mercy. Amen.
^Proverbs 14:12
https://youtu.be/24t3XMSSpyM?si=poxqg8A3TMzBPvTg O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing
 

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March 26, 2026 -- II Peter 1:16-21 -- Faith Comes by Hearing

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), 2 Peter 1:16–21.
 
Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17) and that point is emphasized here as well by the Apostle Peter. Though he was an eyewitness to the transfiguration of Jesus, seeing His glory, he heard the voice of God “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”. Peter urges his readers then, and us today, to hear the prophetic word. Read the Bible. Attend church and hear the Bible read and explained. Know that word of God read and preached are means of grace.
 
Means of grace, what a strange expression, what it that? It is a technical phrase, used through-out church history, to describe how believers are fed and nourished in the Christian faith. Faith is fed by the Word of God. It is living and active (that’s what the writer of Hebrews teaches). That means the Bible exposes weakness. The Bible feeds knowledge. The Bible informs worship. The Bible teaches believers how to hear from and believe in Jesus. (The other means of grace are baptism, Lord’s Supper, preaching, the Sabbath—the celebration of Jesus each Sunday).
 
Many people flock to see “great worship events” where there are Christian-rock bands and a fiery preacher who spends more time on miracles and wonders, than on really explaining the word. The emphasis is on spectacle, rather than in hearing the word read and explained. Here is the problem. I remember, the Spring of 1997, waking up my son Adrian to see the Halley-Bopp Comet. It passes by the earth once every 2,534 years. So, it was epic. I am not sure my son remembers it. We question what we see. What we see is fleeting. However, hearing, telling and hearing what is retold embeds what we’ve heard deep into our hearts.
 
Peter urges believers to hear the prophetic word from the Bible. It will shine as a lamp into the darkness of our hearts. As the word is spoken and heard, preached and heeded, the listener’s soul experiences the knowledge of Jesus Christ as the brightness of the first rays of dawn, which pierce the darkness and promise ever greater light. As Jesus is heard through the Bible and the preaching of the word, He is like the light of the morning star rising within you, illuminating your faith and captivating you by His brilliance. Read the Bible with anticipation. Read the Bible expecting to hear the Truth which lights up your life.
 
Father in heaven, thank You for the means of grace by which we can know Jesus. Jesus, Who has been designated by You as the One Who draws us from the chains of sin to the glorious freedom of forgiveness and we are named Your beloved sons and daughters. Spirit of the Living God, teach us to read and listen to Scripture until it moves us from being merely dutiful readers, to becoming eager hearers of the word. Let that word shine within us the bright dawn of the new day illuminated by Jesus, the bright morning sun of life, Whose brilliance will ever increase within us. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/BXWvis6Xk1w?si=qizKtnBs0bs0f5gO Jesus, Thank You

 

Copyright © 2026 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

March 25, 2026 -- I Thessalonians 5:18 -- Getting filled with thankfulness

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

...give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
I Thessalonians 5:18 ESV
 
A friend recommended I read the book “God is God and I’m Not” (by Timothy Witmer). I was so inspired by these words, and challenged, I had to share.
One of the reasons we fail to remember God’s goodness is that
 the goodness of God can become “normal.” Arthur Pink writes:
Gratitude is the return justly required from the object of His
beneficence; yet it is often withheld from our great Benefactor
simply because His goodness is so constant and abundant. It is
lightly esteemed because it is exercised toward us in the common
course of events. It is not felt because we daily experience it.
Witmer, page 47
 
We are so used to getting blessings from God, that we take them for granted. We might regularly pray ‘give us this day our daily bread’ but neglect to thank God for the fact we have food, clothes, shelter. This is the great sin of thanklessness. Spending a few minutes recalling what we have received from God should lead to amazement, thankfulness, and wonder; all of these lead us to worship God, the Source of every good gift we have. The greatest divine act that should drive us to constant thankfulness is the fact our Father in heaven has rescued us from His just wrath, saved us from hell, and given us new life in Christ. I am guessing many of us do not spend much time contemplating the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His great mercy toward us, if we did, we’d be people who constantly offer thanks to God!
 
Paul, writing the Corinthians, challenged them with these words (which cut away all self-satisfaction), “What do you have that you did not receive” (I Corinthians 4:7). Let’s face it, anything we have in this life is a gracious gift from the Fatherly hand of God. Even the hardships of our life are from Him, to wean us from sin and suited to shape us in holiness. I challenge you today, give thanks to God. Through-out the day, think of as many specific reasons as you can, and as you think of them, offer a prayer of thanks.
 
Father in heaven, by the influence of Your Spirit move me to offer words of thanks and praise to You, for all I have received through Jesus, Your Beloved Son, my Savior. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/D_35IPrjzq8?si=IdcOhjJ8VdGWWxRd Jesus, Thank You

 

Copyright © 2026 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

March 23, 2026 -- Proverbs 7:6-9 -- Spotting the seeds of temptation to sin

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit’s power: Sh’ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

For at the window of my house
I have looked out through my lattice,
and I have seen among the simple
I have perceived among the youths
a young man lacking sense,
passing along the street near her corner,
taking the road to her house
in the twilight, in the evening,
at the time of night and darkness.
Proverbs 7:6-9 ESV
 
The book of Proverbs continually warns the young, the old, the wise and the simple against the wiles of sexual sin. It makes sense. Solomon wrote the Proverbs. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. There is a stark change in the life of Solomon; at the start of his reign is it reported “Solomon loved the LORD” (I Kings 3:3), but later in his reign “King Solomon loves many foreign women” (I Kings 11:1). If the man so blessed by the LORD that he had an understanding mind to govern the people of God (I Kings 3:9) could have his heart turn to sin by the women he loved, how much more, ordinary folks such as you and I must guard ourselves against any temptation toward sexual sin?!
 
Notice the descent into sin. First the simple man passes by the street of the forbidden woman. He knows she’s there; her house is obvious. Next, he is making excuses to take the road to her house, unnecessarily passing by it in order to carry on his day’s labour. You know the seed of sin is growing within him. Sin is like that. Unless one plucks up and immediately tosses away the seed of sin, it will take root and start growing a nefarious plan within you.
 
He is sinking even lower as the bright daylight begins to give way to evening. At twilight he is still hesitating, the growing temptation could be resisted, but it is allowed to grow. At night he hasn’t made a commitment to sin, but it is closer. In the darkness, the adulteress meets him. She’s watched the slow, burning, growing, progression toward sin and when it was obvious the time was ripe, she went out to seal the deal.
 
What a graphic description of sin. It is a brief temptation, not immediately denounced. It is a thought that lingers. It is an idea that is contemplated, justified, and finally boldly pursued. The believer is called to purity. The believer is called to obedience to Jesus Christ.

• First, because Jesus has supplied the reconciling grace for the believer, a believer in life-long thankfulness to Jesus, chooses to live for Him.

• Second, life in Christ involves cultivating purity in the thoughts, the intentions, and the plans of the heart.

• Third, a deep commitment to Jesus will motivate believers to pluck out the insidious seedlings of sins that would take deep root in the place where desires form to influence your thoughts. The Holy Spirit Who lives in the believer will shine the light of Scripture to the places of forming desires where you are straying from whole-hearted obedience to Jesus. You have every opportunity to squash the inclination to sin before it becomes huge, deep-rooted, and hard to dig out completely.

Father in heaven, keep me from the evil, which is always crouching at my door, ready to ambush me. By Your Spirit, let the light of Your Word show me both the vileness of the lurking seeds of temptation and the ruination that such sin would unleash so that in the strength of the Spirit I will pick each one up and toss it away. Then with hand, soul, and heart let me continually, morning, noon, and night, willingly, serve You. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/0nnkkra4FwY?si=XT6mnbqBg64WZ20S Psalm 150 (Praise the Lord")

March 22, 2026 -- Matthew 11:29 -- Jesus' invitation

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and your will find rest for your souls.
Matthew 11:29 ESV
 
We learn from Jesus. But He is so completely different from your experience with anyone else in the world, that such learning is not automatic. So He offers the invitation as a command: “learn from me”. The word ‘learn’ means to decipher what it is He is teaching. Learning from Him is a puzzle because you have no one else and nothing else to which you can compare Him. He is so beyond the realm of your ordinary life experience. To learn from Him requires the powerful presence of the Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, you can’t fathom Him at all. Sorting out what He teaches, compared to what the world teaches, media teaches, school teaches, the workplace teaches, or the government teaches requires profound attention. You must constantly be straining to hear Him above all the noise and clamour of the worldliness all around you.
 
Jesus gives a self-description. His invitation includes the reason why coming to Jesus, turning away from the world and turning to Jesus is so easy. He is gentle. He is not accusatory. He is not condemning. He is not harsh. He already knows that you know you need a Savior. He already knows His life’s purpose is to go out to the lost sheep, the wounded ones, and the cornered ones who fight Him at every step. But His gentleness disarms you. His gentleness invites you to intimacy with the Lord of the Universe.
 
More even than this, Jesus is humble in heart. The expression lowly in heart is a wonderfully descriptive phrase. If you think about it for a minute and you’ll understand what He is communicating. If you’ve offended someone, really hurt them, you know they’re like a towering wall, strong and impenetrable, formed against you. You’ll lose your voice before you ever get a hearing. Jesus is lowly in heart. When you are ready to turn to Him, all you have to do is step over the low wall. He has been removing every hindrance; every brick of reasoning you’ve been piling up against Him. It is a mere step. It is a simple lifting of the foot to get past that line between you both and find in Him rest that is sure, lasting, and sweet.
 
The rest for your souls is first like the refreshment a nap gives you. You can rise and accomplish the work you must do. You have been reenergized. Second the rest found in Jesus is like the healing reconciliation achieved after long months of conflict. Suddenly there is understanding and healing and this motivates the reconciled persons to spend time together, making up for lost time. The rest you receive is a foretaste of heaven. When Jesus returns, with all His holy ones, there will be eternal rest—no more battles with sin and temptation. Sin will be no more. You will be perfected in the righteousness of Christ, and it will be your joy, through all eternity, to delight in God the Father, God the Son your Savior, God the Spirit Who continually increases your capacity to receive all the rich blessings of eternity.
 
Father in heaven, thank You for the gift of Jesus, Your Son, our Rescue Story. Spirit of God, tune up my heart and increase my mental and spiritual focus so that I will be drawn to the Bible, ready to learn from Jesus. Triune God, grant me this glorious rest pictured here in this passage. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/T6V_fc5a3nY?si=Sf6vyEMNSQEwC2m- Safely Through Another Week
 

Copyright © 2026 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

March 21, 2026 -- Proverbs 7:1-5 -- Armed and ready for the inevitable temptation

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

My son, keep my words
and treasure up my commandments with you;
2  keep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;
3  bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4  Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
5  to keep you from the forbidden woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words.
English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Proverbs 7:1–5.
 
Spring is here…though with the amount of snow we’re getting here in Moncton today, it still feels like the clutches of winter have a stranglehold. Soon however, the weather will warm up. Inevitably people will shed layers of clothing; it is a season where many people struggle with lust because so much more skin is exposed. Especially in our day and in this culture where modesty is considered prudishly old fashioned. Why mention this? Well, Proverbs offer strong, repeated, and timely warnings against adultery. 
 
Notice the parallel structure, keep the words of the father and keep his commandments, and keep them as the apple of your eye so that by them you will be kept from the forbidden woman. She is forbidden because she will go after the married man. Men and women can not claim to be uninformed. They are repeatedly warned in the Scriptures and given all the necessary equipping against the attacks of lust. She is forbidden to the single man who is commanded to remain pure unto the Lord until he is married. This woman shamelessly lures her unwary male victim into sin.
 
In our culture and time, there are so many sexual variations to this forbidden woman. Movies and media celebrate men luring other men. Women alluring women, and so on. There is celebration of sexual curiosity which seductively invites you to explore any form of sexuality. Sexual curiosity is presented as cost and consequence free expressions of self. Don't be stupid. It is the path of self-destruction and death. The Bible sets the standard of love and godly sexuality by which one can find true blessedness.
 
Why does the Bible set our standard? Because our Father in heaven, Who made us, has the right to determine how we are to live and how our life serves to bring Him glory. Jesus’ life on earth, lived amid all the wicked temptations which are familiar to us today, was perfect and holy. That is why He is the sacrifice Who, at the cross, took upon Himself, God’s punishment against our sin. The Spirit of God is given to all who are in Christ, so that all temptations to sin can be thrown down and defeated.
 
Another note, the invitation to sexual wickedness will be a provocative call. The wily adulteress will approach you. The sin-sickened male given over to his sin by God, will seek to entice you. Sin is the aggressor. Men and woman trapped in the vile evil of their ways willingly plan how to bring you down into their sin.
 
Think how you protect your eye, from pokes, from dust, from all harm. As much as you protect your eye, so you must protect your heart, preparing its defenses against all forms of adultery. The commands of God and His teaching (teaching means the right direction in which we are to travel) must be so precious to us that by them we are protected against any intrusion or temptation. Wisdom will be for your mind and soul an intimate friend; friend, what a beautiful description of what happens when the commandments of God have, over the course of decades, became familiar and dear to us. These very commandments and teachings draw us closer to God, the Giver of these instructions.
 
Please note, I have been intentional in using the Lord’s Prayer today. By it Jesus instructed His followers to know their sins, however great and heinous, can be forgiven. It is the reason the Father is hallowed, that is honoured and declared the sourced of blessing> He is hallowed precisely because He has given us Jesus, the One through Whom all our sins, trespasses, have been forgiven. In Jesus’ Name, we are made new and treasure up the commandments of God. His will is done, on earth as it is in heaven, through the work of the Holy Spirit, poured out into the lives of believers. The Spirit prompts us to treasure up the commands of God and works the teaching into the deepest places of our decision-making and impulses so that we are kept from wily adulteresses and adulterers.
 
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name,
Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/jWHssWNwu5s?si=KEDldYuhW49GknA8 Rushing Wind
 

Copyright © 2026 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

March 19, 2026 -- Proverbs 6:20, 23a -- Godly instruction from father and mother

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

20  My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
23  For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light…
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Pr 6:20, 23a.
 
Maybe, like me, you’ve had a tendency to exaggerate. For example, when repeating an instruction to my recalcitrant child, I’d exclaim “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times…” The point is, repeated instructions are necessary when training up a child in the way he should go. Humbling, but true, even as adults, we know the good way, we know the truth Jesus commands us to obey, and yet we swerve away from it. We need the repeated instructions of a faithful father and the teaching of a righteous mother as these are expressed in Scriptures.
 
Interestingly, even this brief passage is radical. It speaks of parents as, one man, one woman, to the exclusion of all others. Marriage is honorable. It is the building block of society by which covenant children are raised in the knowledge of the LORD. No wonder society at large seeks to break down the blessing of marriage by encouraging rebellion in children, teaching sexually violent theories in public schools. Society attacks marriage by legalizing all kinds of perversions and variants of sexual coupling and calling it marriage. The Bible is radical in today’s world; as radical as it has always been.
 
A father’s commandment is instruction in of the word of God. Notice at verse 23 the value of such instruction: it is a lamp. This foreshadows the teaching of Jesus. All godly commandments are anchored in the Truth of Jesus. Again, this is considered radical in our world precisely because unbelieving people want autonomy. The problem is an unbelieving person is a tyrant, whose dictates are self-destruction, fueled by the fires of hell. Even men and women who profess a living faith in Jesus must battle the insurgent tendencies arising within which rebel against the good we know. That is why Christians who mess up must be ready to fess up; that is what integrity looks like.
 
“The mother’s teaching” in the original language is the mother’s Torah. The Torah is the name used for first five books of the Old Testament. Torah is also, in other contexts, the expression of the right direction. Such teaching, such Torah is light. Jesus picks up these references in Proverbs 20 and 23; He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but have the light of life” (John 8:12 ESV). The rules and statutes and laws and commandments of God are not boring. They set the course of one’s life, making sure the godly one's heading is aimed directly towards Jesus. Making the commandments and teaching of the LORD your chosen path means you are interacting with the LORD Who made you, loves you, and intends what is best for you in all things.
 
LORD of Commandment and Love, by the presence of Your Spirit help me to see that Your laws show me my sin, lead me to find forgiveness in Christ, and guide me in grateful living. Forgive me for thinking about Your laws and commands in the abstract, as if they are not fundamentally tied into Your best intentions for me, Your child. Spirit, lead me in the way of Truth, then my walk with God truly will be endless praise and thanksgiving. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/FSHe-kibZDg?si=9pDRcKsE76WUobPM Teach Me Your Way, O Lord
 

Copyright © 2026 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.